He Became King Sejong’s Lifelong Prime Minister - Chapter 52

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Secret Royal Inspector Kim Dae-bung (3)

King Taejong Lee Bang-won’s purges are swift, precise, and impressive.

It was so with Prince Yangnyeong’s in-laws, and it was the same with King Sejong’s in-laws.

According to ‘Confucian concepts,’ he sent away people who should absolutely never be purged because they were his own maternal relatives…

He spared those he judged as people who didn’t need to die, or rather, those who wouldn’t harm his royal authority even if they had nothing to say about being killed, and he tried his best to apply collective punishment as little as possible.

No other words are needed – the simple fact that the current Minister of Justice in the Royal Court is Jeong Do-jeon’s eldest son explains it all.

Now, having understood the character of Lee Bang-won, who entrusted me with the position of secret royal inspector, and his preferred methods of purging.

Though I’m not a test-taker, how should I think and act to solve this difficult assignment he has given me?

While I was lost in such thoughts, Kim Man-deok cautiously asked.

“My Lord, why do you want to start from Anseong first? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to inspect areas closer to Hanyang before Anseong?”

“I thought it would be easier later if I start from distant places first. I deliberately came to Anseong first, which is the farthest among the counties I need to visit.”

Among the regions Lee Bang-won designated for me to inspect, Anseong is the farthest from Hanyang.

Of course, traveling between multiple cities in Joseon, which has neither cars nor trains, is itself an ordeal.

“I see.”

“Ah, and there’s one more important reason.”

When solving problems, understanding the examiner’s intention is most important.

Whether taking the college entrance exam or working at a company, if you can’t match the ‘examiner’s intention’ or ‘superior’s intention,’ it’s difficult to achieve good results, and even if you work well, cases arise where you can’t get promoted beyond section chief.

It’s unfortunate, but there are countless people who work really hard and well, yet get ‘laid off’ from companies because they go against the bad direction their superior wants or fail to flatter appropriately.

Conversely, there are many cases where people get promoted to department head despite being somewhat incompetent, thanks to matching their superior’s intentions well.

So as an official of Joseon, it’s important for me to first understand the intentions of Lee Bang-won and King Sejong… I should share my Answer Sheet with Kim Man-deok, shouldn’t I?

“To make an example of one to warn a hundred.”

“… Are you planning to impeach the Anseong County Magistrate?”

If I use the authority of a secret royal inspector, I could make the Anseong County Magistrate into someone who can never hold government office again.

I just need to dig up and report everything from small corruption hidden in the county to all the problems arising from implementing the Bangwon Method.

However, sending away the County Magistrate and restoring order that way is only second-rate at best.

A first-rate administrator should make the County Magistrate voluntarily repent his mistakes and correct his wrongs on his own.

“Where in Joseon would you find an official who doesn’t accept sujeung (bribes in the form of holiday gifts), and how could you say that yangban and local clerks don’t conspire to lie about this year being a poor harvest again? How could you also say there’s no one who owns 100 gyeol of land but claims to have only 50 gyeol and demands lower taxes?”

There’s no human in this world who won’t produce even a speck of dust when shaken down. If such a person existed, they wouldn’t be human but a god.

Moreover, in Joseon, if I set my mind to it and shake them down thoroughly, who wouldn’t show evidence of hiding assets to evade taxes?

“If I were to inspect the county with the determination to catch all such misdeeds, not only the Anseong County Magistrate but not a single yangban family in Anseong would remain.”

This isn’t what Lee Bang-won wants.

If lawful and firm inspections were to eliminate all corrupt yangban, other yangban would inevitably have to fill those positions…

And we wouldn’t be able to handle the administrative vacuum, village security gaps, and disorder that would occur in the process. Anarchy is truly terrifying.

Because without government, women get raped, and when murders occur, no one can punish the perpetrators, so those who don’t commit crimes become the fools – such disasters would break out.

So I have no intention of wielding the iron mace Lee Bang-won entrusted to me too strictly.

“Not receiving or giving sujeung is impossible in Joseon, isn’t it? We should only do exactly what the Bangwon Method stipulates. For those who own 100 gyeol of land, we just need to collect taxes corresponding to 100 gyeol of land.”

“You don’t intend to massacre the Anseong County Magistrate and yangban then.”

“That’s right. I’ll just warn them that King Taejong Lee Bang-won will be very angry if they don’t comply. This way, I’ll restore order.”

On battlefields, soldiers who desert or attempt to desert are almost always executed by firing squad.

And they die in front of everyone watching. The reason is extremely simple.

The one being executed dies because they committed a crime worthy of death anyway, and other soldiers watching engrave deep in their bones the lesson not to desert, even if only because they don’t want to die.

“I have no intention of causing such incidents unless absolutely necessary.”

Of course, if an extraordinary situation arises, I too would have to modify my policy and use hardline measures. Though I don’t like seeing blood.

“Ah, come to think of it… when are you planning to hold your wedding ceremony, My Lord?”

“My father says if I don’t hold a wedding ceremony within next year, he’ll choose any decent family’s daughter himself. I’m not sure what to do.”

I don’t think this is something to say to Kim Man-deok, who gave me his daughter as a concubine, but ah! Who should I really marry?

If things keep getting tangled up like this, I’ll have no choice but to go out on Dano Festival and pick the prettiest woman among the yangban family daughters playing on swings.

While I was seriously pondering this marriage problem, the cheerful sound of songs sung by common people could be heard from far away.

Right now it’s harvest season, and in the meantime the Bangwon Method has been promulgated nationwide and put into practice… They must be celebrating joyfully because their taxes have been reduced and life is worth living.

“Let’s go over there.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

What we commonly see in dramas and movies is that secret royal inspectors immediately reveal themselves at the Government Office and arrest everyone as soon as they detect corruption by local officials.

In reality, this is just dramatic staging for effect. If you actually ‘reveal yourself’ like that in the field, you’re guaranteed exile to Samsu Gapsan.

Let’s think about it logically.

Even when police start an investigation, they need reasonable evidence to get search warrants issued and order someone to report to the police station.

If they just call people to the police station without any evidence or grounds, that officer will face all kinds of disciplinary action for ‘abuse of authority.’

What more, if I investigate a county magistrate who outranks me by four whole grades without even circumstantial evidence, what would happen?

So in the initial stages of being a secret royal inspector, you must first listen to local rumors, and only reveal yourself after catching clear criminal evidence – that’s proper official conduct.

“Kim Man-deok, you alone follow me. Let’s get a drink from them and ask what good news they have.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Kim Man-deok and I headed straight to where the feast was taking place.

Though two strangers suddenly appeared, they couldn’t tell us to get lost.

Because both Kim Man-deok and I were disguised as ‘scholars returning from taking the civil service exam.’

“… Let me ask one thing. What’s so good that you’re celebrating like this when it’s not even a holiday like Chuseok?”

At my words, one farmer answered with a broad smile.

“Because of the newly promulgated Bangwon Method, our taxes have gone down so we can eat well and live well, so of course we’re laughing. Previously, because of tribute tax, even tenant farmers like us without a piece of land had to pay 3-4 seom of rice per household. Now we only need to pay 13 doe per gyeol.”

When I heard “13 doe,” my head started spinning.

Right, well, with the half-and-half system, the tenant rate averages 50%.

Let’s say they can pay about half of 1 gyeol’s 18 du, 18 doe.

But charging 13 doe per gyeol? This crosses the line a bit.

Still, you can’t get full from the first spoonful, so let’s let this slide for now.

“With taxes reduced so much, life will be worth living.”

“Yes, now I can feed my children until they’re full. Or I could tighten my belt a bit and buy some land. What a wonderful world this is.”

The Common People’s faces were filled with smiles.

If I write this story in an Official Report and send it to Lee Bang-won, he’ll be absolutely delighted.

However, even though the Bangwon Method benefits all the people, the world is always overflowing with corrupt officials.

There are many who will exploit the gaps and weaknesses of this law to commit corruption.

To put it bluntly, for Common People who used to be extorted 3 Seom of White Rice each, if you reduce the collection amount and take only 2 Seom of White Rice, that alone would be cause for celebration.

Those who try to exploit this gap to embezzle taxes are bound to appear.

Let me see, what comes to mind right now is manipulating the size of Measuring Cups or things like that…

Leaving me lost in silent contemplation, Kim Man-deok stepped forward and asked the commoner.

“Even though I failed the civil service examination, I feel bad about returning home empty-handed… Could you tell me where I can buy those Tribute Goods that are offered to His Majesty?”

Kim Man-deok fumbled around and handed the commoner a fairly large bundle of Cotton Cloth.

The recipient waved his hands and refused it.

“Tribute Goods aren’t something just anyone can buy. You need an introduction from the County Local Clerks My Lord or the noble My Lords. Or you could purchase them through Buddhist Temples.”

The core of the Bangwon Method is that the Government Office provides Rice, and Merchants provide Tribute Goods in return.

Therefore, you should be able to trade directly with the Merchants’ goods…

You can only purchase them by going through Buddhist Temples?

Our Anseong County Magistrate My Lord, it seems he needs a visit from a secret royal inspector to come to his senses.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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